This may be the best week of the year.
Baseball’s opening day, which is a good thing unless you are a Braves fan (because until the calendar says 2018, all game days are tied in their collective stinkiness for supporters of the rebuilding franchise). Title games for the NCAA basketball tournaments, which means men’s intrigue and UConn’s women celebrating.
And of course, there’s the Masters, which starts today.
Ah, the Masters. A tradition unlike any other. An event – and a place – so special, there’s not much else like it in all of sports.
Think of it this way. How many other venues truly outshine the great stars of the sport being hosted? Yes, there are some other golf courses in the discussion – St. Andrews comes to mind – but they only occasionally host major championships.
The only two venues across all sports that comparatively come to mind are Churchill Downs and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which in my view finishes a distant third in this discussion. (If you are thinking of Daytona, well, that’s a regional iconic venue; Indy is a global one.)
Augusta National is so perfect and poignant and passion-filled, it’s like an old friend we eagerly look forward to seeing each spring.
At the Masters, we all share the experiences. We know the stories. We recall the shots. We remember Mize’s chip on No. 11 in 1987 and, of course, the magical back nine of Jack the previous spring. We remember Tiger’s heroics and Phil from the pine straw and Bubba’s impossibly hooking wedge from jail in a playoff.
We remember the collapses and the charges. We know the holes like we’ve played the course a hundred times, because in a lot of ways we have. We know the patrons are not allowed to run – and that they are referred to as patrons rather than fans – or carry cellphones. We know those patrons are treated like royalty whether they are actually royalty or some guy named Roy. We know the green jacket – everyone knows the green jacket – and we’re all pretty sure we’d wear it every day if we had one.
In fact, 2015 champ Jordan Spieth said he regrets not wearing his green jacket more in the past year. (Remember, the winner gets to keep his jacket for a year; all other green jackets – for members and past winners – must remain at the club.) There are even reports that Phil Mickelson would stuff his in his golf bag and pull it out in big moments of big-money matches for intimidation.
In fact, Spieth and Mickelson are part of two of the top story lines entering this year’s tournament.
Certainly, any former legendary champ making a run – especially on the 30th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus’ magical and unforgettable ’86 win – is a clear choice. But with the length and the hills and the grind, there’s little chance of one of those guys capturing time and our imagination the way Nicklaus did back then.
Here are some nominations for other great story lines going in:
– Spieth attempting to repeat as champ is a great one. The last back-to-back winner at Augusta was Tiger in the early 2000s. Spieth certainly has the game and the nerves to do it, but the putting stroke that made him unstoppable in big moments last year has been missing lately.
– Rory McIlroy looking to complete a career Grand Slam.
– Phil because he’s Phil. And if you are looking for a Nicklaus-like comparison this week, remember that Mickelson is 45 – he’ll turn 46 in June – and Nicklaus was 46 when he won in ’86.
– Great players such as Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson who are still hunting their first major title. Of that group, we think Rickie Fowler has the best shot, but don’t sleep on Stenson, who hits a controlled 3-wood as long as most drivers, something that will serve him very well this week.
– Adam Scott with Stevie Williams back on the bag. Williams has been a part of four Masters wins (three with Tiger and one with Scott), and that experience is a real asset. How Scott manages the greens with a non-anchored putting stroke will be the biggest key for his chances, however.
– Finally, there’s our guy, Jason Day. He has become the best player in the world, and a win this week certainly would cap a Tiger-esque like run since winning the PGA Championship last August.
Here’s Day’s stat sheet since last summer’s U.S. Open: 15 tournaments, six wins, 13 top-15 finishes.
Here’s thinking that come Sunday night, Day will have a seventh win – and get a year with his own green jacket.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343. Follow him on Twitter @jgreesontfp.